Trump’s Western swing to highlight Olympics, 2020 campaign

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will be briefed on preparations for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and raise millions for his reelection campaign next week as part of a three-day, four-state swing to Western states.

The White House says Trump will also discuss water supply and delivery issues in California, and speak at a graduation ceremony for prisoners in Las Vegas. Trump will hold campaign rallies in Phoenix and Colorado Springs, Colorado., as well as fundraisers in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage, California.

The trip is his first to the West since his State of the Union address last week. It comes as he is stepping up his campaign activity before the November election and as pro-Trump groups raised a combined $60 million in January, shattering fundraising records.

The rallies will take him to two states with vulnerable Republican senators — Cory Gardner of Colorado and Martha McSally of Arizona. Both stood by Trump during the Senate’s impeachment trial.

Trump’s visit to California will also test his relationship with the state’s Democratic leaders. They have sparred on infrastructure spending, fuel mileage standards and so-called sanctuary cities policies.

Trump will depart Tuesday for Los Angeles, where he will meet the LA28 Olympic Committee “for an update on their efforts to prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games,” the White House said. He is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser in the area, before continuing to Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, Trump will appear in Bakersfield, California, the hometown of House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, “to speak with hardworking farmers in the Central Valley about efforts to dramatically improve the supply and delivery of water in California and other Western states,” the White House said.

The president will travel to billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s Rancho Mirage estate, which includes a private golf club, where his campaign his hosting a golf outing and fundraiser. Ellison previously hosted President Barack Obama at the course, which, like others in the arid Coachella Valley, has faced scrutiny for high water usage.

Trump will then hold a rally in Phoenix before returning to Las Vegas. Trump owns a hotel just off the Las Vegas strip.

Next Thursday, Trump will speak at the Hope for Prisoners Graduation Ceremony held at the Las Vegas police headquarters, the White House said, adding that the president intends to focus on efforts “to provide previously incarcerated Americans with second chances.” He will hold another rally in Colorado before flying back to Washington.

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